Before Route One

Available for over a year

When looking at a map of Iceland, there aren't many roads. A country of epic landscapes, with huge swathes of uninhabited and untouched land, but for Icelanders, travelling by car has never been as good as it is today. Iceland's Route One, or Hringvegurinn, is the country's main road. It opened in 1974, but has recently undergone a period of repair and rebuilding. It is 1,322 kilometres long and connects the majority of towns together in the most populated areas of the country. Even with the addition of modern infrastructure, Icelandic folklore still plays a large part in today's society. Tales from the past are not forgotten. Icelanders have always told fantastic tales of their strange encounters with the many supernatural beings with which they share the land. During the long dark winter nights of old, storytelling was the chief form of Icelandic entertainment, with each region fostering its very own sagas, tales and legends that were passed down from generation to generation. In this episode of Between The Ears, the New York-based Icelandic sound designer and composer Andrea Kristinsdottir goes back home to discover the sounds and stories before Route One. Andrea starts her journey in Keflavik, moving counter-clockwise around the country on Route One, from the moss covered lava fields to the black volcanic windswept beaches of Vik. Then onwards to Kirkjubæjarklaustur with glaciers glinting in the distance and driving to the far northern alien landscape of bubbling geysers in Hverir. At every stop, Andrea juxtaposes the sounds of modern Iceland with stories from before Route One, bringing to life the Land of Ice and Fire, with location recordings of waterfalls, glaciers, thermal baths and geysers, complemented by folklore and fairytales. Presenter / Sound designer / Composer: Andrea Kristinsdottir Producer: Jo Meek for Audio Always